Wrap-around pants

Abstract

A pair of pants formed from a blank of material that may be laid substantially flat, and a method of wrapping a blank of material around a wearer to form a pair of pants with smooth legs. The blank of material is preferably formed of four substantially standard-shaped pant leg panels sewn only along the inseam and crotch seam. Because each panel has a substantially standard pant leg shape, the blank formed from the connected panels has areas of excess fabric when the blank is laid out on a flat surface. The areas of excess fabric allow for the formation of smooth pant legs and front and back pant portions between the waist and legs upon wrapping the material around a wearer. The material is wrapped around the wearer like a diaper--first the back portion of the material is secured at the front of the wearer's waist, then the front portion of the material is pulled through the legs of the wearer, pulled up to the waist, wrapped around the wearer, and overlapped and secured over the back portion of the material, thereby forming pant legs having overlapped outer sides. Any desired closing means may be used to secure the front and back portions of the material around the wearer's waist.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A pair of pants comprising: a blank of material that can be laid substantially flat, said blank having a front portion, a back portion, a front waistband along a free edge of said front portion, and a back waistband along a free edge of said back portion, said front portion having a pair of free edges substantially perpendicular to said front waistband and forming substantially parallel back edges of said pants when said blank is wrapped around a wearer, and said back portion having a pair of substantially parallel free edges forming front edges of said pants when said blank is wrapped around a wearer;   means located on said front waistband for indepedently securing said front portion of said blank around the waist of a wearer upon wrapping said blank into a pants configuration; and   means located on said back waistband for independently securing said back portion of said blank around the waist of a wearer upon wrapping said blank into a pants configuration;   wherein said front and back portions overlap sufficiently without being attached to each other to permit coverage of the legs of the wearer and attachment of said pants around the wearer being achieved solely by means of said closing means on said front and back waistbands.   
     
     
       2. A pair of pants as in claim 1, wherein: said front portion of said blank further comprises a right pant leg panel and a left pant leg panel joined along a crotch seam;   said back portion of said blank further comprises a right pant leg panel and a left pant leg panel joined along a crotch seam; and   said front portion and said back portion are joined along an inseam.   
     
     
       3. A pair of pants as in claim 2, wherein said blank of material has a plurality of areas of excess fabric that prevent said blank from being completely flat and that allow said blank to be wrapped around the legs of a wearer into a pants configuration in which the legs of the pants are substantially smooth and straight in a vertical direction and in which said pants fit smoothly between said waistbands and said pants legs. 
     
     
       4. A pair of pants as in claim 1, wherein; said front portion and said back portion are joined along an inseam; and   said back portion is wider than said front portion in a direction perpendicular to said inseam so that said front and back portions overlap sufficiently to permit full cover when said pants are worn by the wearer.   
     
     
       5. A pair of pants as in claim 1, wherein said closing means is selected from the group consisting of: a pair of ties, at least one pair of complementary buttons and buttonholes, snaps, at least one pair of complementary hooks and eyes, and hook and loop material. 
     
     
       6. A pair of pants as in claim 1, wherein: said closing means on said back portion is a tie; and   said closing means on said front portion is selected from the group consisting of: at least one pair of complementary buttons and buttonholes, snaps, at least one pair of complementary hooks and eyes, and hook and loop material.   
     
     
       7. A pair of pants comprising: a right front pant leg panel:   a left front pant leg panel;   a right back pant leg panel; and   a left back pant leg panel; wherein:   each of said pant leg panels is formed in a pant leg shape having a top edge, a bottom edge parallel to said top edge, an outer edge extending substantially perpendicularly between said top and bottom edges, and an inner edge extending between said top and bottom edges;   said inner edges each comprise a curved crotch edge and a curved inseam edge;   said right front pant leg panel and said left front pant leg panel are joined only along said crotch edge;   said right back pant leg panel and said left back pant leg panel are joined only along said crotch edge;   said right front pant leg panel and said right back pant leg panel are joined only along said inseam edge;   said left front pant leg panel and said left back pant leg panel are joined only along said inseam edge;   said outer edge of each said panel is free from attachment to any other edge; and   each of said pant leg panels is sufficiently wide to permit overlap of said outer edges of said right front and back panels and said outer edges of said left front and back panels so that said pants may be worn, without attaching the outer edges of said pant legs to another pant leg, and without exposing the leg of the wearer.   
     
     
       8. A pair of pants as in claim 7, further comprising: right front closing means positioned between said top edge and said outer edge of said right front pant leg panel;   left front closing means positioned between said top edge and said outer edge of said left front pant leg panel;   right back closing means positioned between said top edge and said outer edge of said right back pant leg panel; and   left back closing means positioned between said top edge and said outer edge of said left back pant leg panel.   
     
     
       9. A method of wrapping a blank of material around a wearer to form a pair of pants, said material having a front waistband and a back waistband opposite said front waistband, said front waistband having a corresponding closing means positioned at the back of the wearer for securing said front waistband, separately and independently of said back waistband, around a wearer, and said back waistband having a corresponding closing means positioned at the front of the wearer for securing said back waistband, separately and independently of said front waistband, around a wearer, said method comprising the steps of: securing one of said front and back waistbands of said blank of material around a waist of a wearer with a corresponding closing means so that said material is secured around the wearer's waist and partially wrapped around the wearer independently of the other of said front and back waistbands, the remainder of the material hanging from the wearer's waist below the secured waistband;   pulling the material hanging below the secured waistband through the wearer's legs;   lifting the other of said front and back waistbands to the wearer's waist, thereby lifting at least a portion of the material pulled through the wearer's legs, and wrapping said lifted portion of material around the wearer and over material hanging from said one of said front and back waistbands first tied around the wearer's waist to form pant legs having overlapped unattached sides; and   securing said other of said front and back waistbands of said blank of material around the waist of the wearer with a corresponding closing means to secure said other of said front and back waistbands around the wearer independently of said first secured waistband;   wherein the blank of material is shaped to result in smooth pant legs and smooth areas between the wearer's waist and legs when wrapped around the wearer, the sides of the pants overlapping each other without being attached.   
     
     
       10. A pair of pants as in claim 8, wherein: said right and left front closing means cooperate to tie said right and left front pant leg panels around a wearer independently of said right and left back closing means; and   said right and left back closing means cooperate to tie said right and left back pant leg panels around a wearer independently of said right and left front closing means.   
     
     
       11. A pair of pants as in claim 1, wherein at least one of said front and back portions covers at least three-quarters of the leg of the wearer. 
     
     
       12. A pair of pants as in claim 11, wherein both said front and back portions cover at least three-quarters of the leg of the wearer. 
     
     
       13. A pair of pants as in claim 7, wherein at least one of said pant leg panels is sufficiently wide to wrap around at least three-quarters of the leg of the wearer. 
     
     
       14. A pair of pants as in claim 13, wherein both said pant legs cover at least three-quarters of the leg of the wearer.